Focus Features' latest crime-thriller Stillwater is now out in theaters, and in case you missed it, the film has been generating a lot of news headlines lately.
Controversially inspired by Amanda Knox's real-life story and written and directed by Oscar-winning Spotlight creator Tom McCarthy, Stillwater stars Matt Damon as blue-collar Oklahoma oil worker Bill Baker, a man who is hellbent on proving the innocence of his lesbian daughter Allison (played by Oscar-nominated actress and Scream Queens alum Abigail Breslin) after she is accused of murdering her roommate -- and girlfriend -- Lina while studying abroad in Marseille, France.
Out got the chance to sit down virtually with Breslin, and she opened up about what it was like playing a queer character who, despite the hardships she goes through, isn't held back or marginalized because of her sexuality.
"What I liked about it is that it didn't even seem to be an issue in the film, which I liked, because it would've felt a little bit stereotypical had we put too much of an emphasis on her sexuality," Breslin said. "I think that it's just a part of her, but that's not all she is as a human being. She's a fully rounded human, she was in love with somebody, and it just would be the same kind of story if it was a girl dating a guy, and vice versa, you know? So I think that we didn't want to play anything too, like, 'Oh, she's a lesbian, and this is how we're gonna play it.' I think she's just a person. It wasn't even a huge factor in what went on in her life at all."
Stillwater is playing in theaters now.
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